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NFL Draft: Who’s going where? Round 2

After the surprises and excitement of last night’s 1st round of the 2014 NFL Draft tonight see’s the 2nd and 3rd rounds take place as many 1st round talents hope to be taken off the board early in the 2nd round. Here are my prediction for the 2nd round picks although like my 1st round mock draft potential trades will automatically render most of my predictions incorrect as teams jostle to take the best available players for their organization. Without further ado, the Houston Texans are on the clock.

33rd Pick: Houston Texans – With the opening pick of the 2nd round I predict the Texans will finally address their weakness at Quarterback by selecting a consensus 1st round talent who amazingly slipped out of the 1st round in what was a tough night for the QB class. I’m of course talking about Fresno State’s Derek Carr, a big physical pocket passer with a cannon arm who could immediately come in to training camp and become the game 1 starter for the Texans.

34th Pick: Washington Redskins – The Washington Redskins enter the 2014 NFL Draft after the last of their blockbuster trade in 2012 to grab RG3 meant St Louis used their 2nd overall pick. Nevertheless, the team is in a rebuilding stage with a new head coach and a QB out to prove the critics wrong after a disappointing 2013 season. Their biggest need appear in protection for RG3, which is why I think they’ll be thrilled that Alabama Offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, someone who is ranked 24th on Mike Mayock’s top 100 board. Therefore he represents a steal for the Redskins early in the 2nd round.

35th Pick: Cleveland Browns – The Browns made a splash in the 1st round by addressing two big needs with top quality players, their 22nd overall pick of QB Johnny Manziel that affects this 2nd round pick however as I predict the Browns will immediately add protection for Manziel. The best available Offensive line prospect is UCLA Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo. He’s a 1st round talent and would immediately give Manziel the added protection he’ll need to make plays.

36th Pick: Oakland Raiders – After they managed to grab a steal in selecting Khalil Mack in the 1st round like the Texans I see the Raiders addressing their Quarterback situation with this pick. Of the QB’s still available I predict they’ll go with rising draft prospect Jimmy Garoppolo. Although he went to a small school in Eastern Illinois he’s wowed draft scouts during the draft process and could be a serious challenge to Matt Schaub from day 1.

37th Pick: Atlanta Falcons – After selecting an Offensive tackle in the 1st round the 2nd round will see the Falcons again address a big need for them in a pass rushing edge player. Of the remaining Defensive end class I predict the Falcons will select Kony Ealy from Missouri. He’s a really good player whilst simultaneously filling a need for the Falcons in what is a beneficial selection for both parties.

38th Pick: Tampa bay Buccaneers – After the selection of Mike Evans in round 1 the Buccaneers I predict they’ll swap and select a defensive player with their 2nd round pick. The player in question I sense will be Linebacker Demarcus Lawrence from Boise state. He’s a real good player and also helps fill a need at linebacker.

39th Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars – With the shock selection of Blake Bortles at the 3rd pick the team still need to give him some offensive weapons to throw too if he’s to stand a chance of success. Therefore the Jags will be ecstatic to find a Wide receiver in the calibre of USC’s Marquise Lee still available. Although he has injury concerns if he stays healthy watch out for the Jags offense this year.

40th Pick:Seattle Seahawks – After trading out of the 1st round last night the Seahawks will finally make their 1st selection with the 40th pick. The team lost a lot of players during free agency and therefore go into the draft with more needs than they would have liked. One of the top needs is on the Offensive line which is why it makes sense for them to select Joel Bitonio from Nevada. He can immediately start for the team and will add brilliant depth on the line.

41st Pick: Buffalo Bills – The Bills provided a shock last night as no one predicted they would trade up to select Wide receiver Sammy Watkins. That doesn’t appear to be the end of their offensive selections as it seems most likely they will upgrade their offensive line by selecting draft faller Morgan Moses from Virginia. Many mock drafts had him late in the 1st round so it would be a steal for the Bills to select him in the middle of the 2nd round.

42st Pick: Tennessee Titans – The selection of Taylor Lewan was no surprise as the team needed an instant upgrade on their offensive line. With this upgrade the team have given Jake Locker even more protection going into a crucial year for him . Many have raised doubts however as to his long term potential with the Titans and it appears the Titans will select a QB in this draft. I sense they’ll go early and select Zack Mettenberger from LSU. He has injury concerns however he’s a very talented QB who can learn from Locker this year before challenging for the starting job in the next few years.

43rd Pick: New York Giants – Wide receiver Odell Beckham was their 1st round selection and it appears their offensive selections won’t stop there. One of their biggest needs is at Tight end and is something that can be easily upgraded with this selection. The Giants will select the second best Tight end in this class with Jace Amaro of Texas Tech. He can start from game one and will be another weapon for Eli Manning to throw too.

44th Pick: St Louis Rams – After a pretty conservative 1st round with the selections of Offensive tackle Greg Robinson and Defensive end Aaron Donald which will improve both sides of the ball for the Rams, now it appears the teams will make the more eye catching selections as I sense they’ll go after a Wide receiver in the 2nd round. Indiana’s Cody Latimer will be a good selection for the team as Sam Bradford will get a new offensive weapon to throw too in a crucial year for both him and the Rams.

45th Pick: Detroit Lions – With the 45 pick my prediction is that the Lions will go after highly rated linebacker Kyle Van Noy from BYU. He’s a draft sleeper and can be considered a steal for the Lions at this spot in the middle of the 2nd round.

46th Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers – After the defensive selection of Outside linebacker Ryan Shazier with their 1st round selection last night with the 2nd round choice I predict the Steelers will again stay on the defensive side of the ball by selecting Cornerback Anotone Exum from Virginia Tech. He’s someone who will immediately improve what was the biggest positional need for the Steelers and makes great sense for them to address this need in the 2nd round.

47th Pick: Dallas Cowboys – With so many defensive needs for the Cowboys it was a slight surprise they selected Offensive tackle Zack martin in the 1st round last night. Therefore the team will surely address their defense with this pick. One of their biggest needs is at Defensive tackle which is why I see them selecting Minnesota’s Ra’shede Hageman. A very good Defensive tackle, he will most likely immediately start and therefore upgrade the Cowboys defensive.

48th Pick: Baltimore Ravens- The Ravens pulled their classic pick the best player routine last night by selecting Inside Linebacker C.J Mosley from Alabama. Their 2nd round selection I feel will simply go for their draft needs now of which Tight end is the one with the best value at this pick. The Ravens can select the third best Tight end of this draft class is Austin-Seferian- Jenkins from Washington. He might not get much game time in the first year but can learn from Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels before eventually getting his chance in the next few years.

49th Pick: New York Jets- After addressing their need at Safety by selecting Calvin Pryor in the 1st round it would therefore seem logical the Jets will use their 2nd round pick to address another big need for them at Wide receiver. From the receiver class still available one of the top talents is Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews, who was once in the 1st round discussion before settling in most mock drafts to the middle of the 2nd round. Alongside Eric Decker Geno Smith will be very happy with his new offensive weapons to throw too.

50th Pick: Miami Dolphins – For the Miami Dolphins their draft needs are glaringly obvious. After a bruising 2013 the team has a serious lack of depth on the offensive line therefore it was no surprise they selecting O-lineman Ja’Wuan James in the 1st round. Also it shouldn’t be a huge shock to see them select another O-lineman in the 2nd round with another Tennessee man Antonio Richardson. Both selections will bring much needed depth and talent to a struggling Offensive line going into the 2014 season.

51st Pick: Chicago Bears – The Bears played the 1st round smart last night by selecting a player to address their biggest overall need at Cornerback in Kyle Fuller. The Bears organization I believe will play their 2nd round selection smart too by getting the best value whilst simultaneously filling a need also by selecting Florida State Defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan. The fact he would have fallen this far will be viewed as a complete steal by the Bears as they will get an upgrade at a key position whilst simultaneously nabbing a player who is a late 1st round talent.

52nd Pick: Arizona Cardinals – After moving back in a trade with the Green Bay Packers the Cardinals still managed to fill a need for their team at Safety by selecting Deone Bucannon. Many were slightly surprised they did not select a Quarterback as Carson Palmer is nearing 35 and will need to be replaced in the next few seasons. The fans I sense will get their way as the Cardinals will select a young QB to develop and learn from Palmer before replacing him. Tom Savage is a QB who will be hard to pass up on at this point as he is a stocky pocket passer who could effortlessly take over from Palmer after a few years of development.

53rd Pick: Green Bay Packers – The Packers made the brave move of trading up from 27 to the 20th pick to select Safety Ha Ha-Clinton Dix in the 1st round. This was a clever move from the Packers as they managed to select one of the top Safeties in the draft, whilst also filling their biggest need going into the draft. The Packers will therefore play it sensible and use their 2nd round pick on the team’s second biggest need which is at Tight end. The team will therefore select Notre Dame Tight end Troy Niklas. The team will get a top 5 rated Tight end and for their position in the draft this pick has to be viewed as a steal.

54th Pick: Philadelphia Eagles – To the surprise of many the Eagles did not select a Wide receiver with their 1st round pick, instead trading back to select Defensive end Marcus Smith. Whilst he’s a top quality player he didn’t fill any of the Eagles top needs therefore I would be very surprised if they didn’t address one of these needs with this 2nd round pick. The Eagles biggest need is at Cornerback and I feel the team will make a reach and select the best available corner in Clemson’s Bashaud Breeland.

55th Pick: Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals were quick to select Safety Darqueze Dennard with their 24th pick, as the team looked to improve their Cornerback position by selecting an immediate starter in Dennard. With their 2nd round pick I sense the team will improve their biggest need which is at the Defensive end position. By far the best available Defensive end is Oregon State’s Scott Crichton. He could immediately challenge for a starting role and is rated as the 46th best player on Mike Mayock’s big board, representing how this pick is a steal for the Bengals.

56th Pick: San Francisco 49ers – Last night’s 1st round selection for the 49ers was Safety Jimmie Ward, yet it appears for their 2nd round selection the team will improve their offense. The team seems to be one speedy receiver away from the Super bowl and with this selection they have the perfect opportunity to rectify this. I predict the team will select LSU Wide receiver Jarvis Landry, someone’s who’s highly rated and will be an immediate for the 49ers offense.

57th Pick: San Diego Chargers – With the Chargers filling their biggest need at Cornerback by selecting Jason Verrett in the 1st round the team will follow a similarly sensible path by filling their second biggest need at Wide receiver with this 2nd round pick. The Wide receiver class is deep this year therefore I sense the team will take a chance and select a slightly unpolished receiver is Clemson’s Martavis Bryant. He has tremendous upside yet needs a year or two to develop before he becomes an NFL starter.

58th Pick: New Orleans Saints – The New Orleans Saints gave Drew Brees a new receiver to throw too with Brandin Cooks from Oregon State. Therefore it seems logical the team will use their 2nd round pick on a defensive player now with a big need on that side of the ball being at Cornerback. A deep class at the position means the team can select a player of the calibre of Florida State’s Lamarcus Joyner who will arrive at a winning program and can become the future starting corner for the Saints.

59th Pick: Indianapolis Colts – After trading away their 1st round pick to Cleveland for Trent Richardson early in the season the team finally arrives at the NFL Draft with the 59th pick. The team have a lot of defensive needs yet a lack of available talent at this spot seemingly will force the team into selecting the best available player in Mississippi State’s Guard Gabe Jackson. He’s a consensus top 4 at his position and will add some extra depth in the protection of Andrew Luck going into the 2014 season.

60th Pick: Carolina Panthers – After seemingly disabling most of their offense this off-season the Panthers finally gave Cam Newton another weapon to throw too in Florida State’s Kelvin Benjamin in the 1st round. With the 60th pick it seems the team will address a big need on offense at Offensive tackle by selecting the best available in Clemson’s Brandon Thomas.

61st Pick: San Francisco 49ers – With their second pick in quick succession late in the 2nd round the 49ers having nothing to lose by drafting another Wide receiver to create some early competition for a future starting job. With such a deep class there seems little risk in selecting someone like Fresno State’s Davante Adams as a perfect challenge to Landry for the future.

62nd Pick: New England Patriots – With a late 2nd round pick like this a well set team like the Patriots have the flexibility to draft someone out of the ordinary which is why I sense they’ll be the first team to select a Running back in this draft by selecting Ohio State’s Carlos Hyde to help fill a positional need whilst also receiving a great talent from a low 2nd round pick.

63rd Pick: Denver Broncos – With the penultimate pick in the 2nd round I sense the Broncos will attempt to fill the best potential need available at the Offensive line position by selecting Ohio State’s Jack Mewhort. Whilst he’s not likely to be an immediate starter he can develop over the next few years before becoming a future starter for the Broncos.

64th pick: Seattle Seahawks – The final pick of the 2nd round goes to the defending Super bowl champions with their second pick of the 2nd round I sense the team will look to select a positional need at Defensive tackle as the team lost a number of starters during the free agency period. Therefore I predict the team will select Defensive tackle Will Sutton from Arizona State. The team can use him in certain schemes whilst allowing him to grow and develop before taking the starting reign’s himself in the next few seasons.